Psalm 37:1-40
Of David.
א [ʼAʹleph]*
37 Do not show yourself heated up because of the evildoers.+Do not be envious of those doing unrighteousness.+
2 For like grass they will speedily wither,+And like green new grass they will fade away.+
ב [Behth]
3 Trust in Jehovah and do good;+Reside in the earth, and deal with faithfulness.+
4 Also take exquisite delight in Jehovah,+And he will give you the requests of your heart.+
ג [Giʹmel]
5 Roll upon Jehovah your way,+And rely upon him,+ and he himself will act.+
6 And he will certainly bring forth your righteousness as the light itself,+And your justice as the midday.+
ד [Daʹleth]
7 Keep silent before Jehovah+And wait longingly for him.+Do not show yourself heated up at anyone making his way successful,+At the man carrying out [his] ideas.+
ה [Heʼ]
8 Let anger alone and leave rage;+Do not show yourself heated up only to do evil.+
9 For evildoers themselves will be cut off,+But those hoping in Jehovah are the ones that will possess the earth.+
ו [Waw]
10 And just a little while longer, and the wicked one will be no more;+And you will certainly give attention to his place, and he will not be.+
11 But the meek ones themselves will possess the earth,+And they will indeed find their exquisite delight in the abundance of peace.+
ז [Zaʹyin]
12 The wicked one is plotting against the righteous one,+And at him he is grinding his teeth.+
13 Jehovah* himself will laugh at him,+For he certainly sees that his day will come.+
ח [Chehth]
14 The wicked ones have drawn a sword itself and have bent their bow,+To cause the afflicted and poor one to fall,+To slaughter those who are upright in [their] way.+
15 Their own sword will enter into their heart,+And their own bows will be broken.+
ט [Tehth]
16 Better is the little of the righteous one+Than the abundance of the many wicked ones.+
17 For the very arms of the wicked ones will be broken,+But Jehovah will be supporting the righteous ones.+
י [Yohdh]
18 Jehovah is aware of the days of the faultless ones,+And their very inheritance will continue even to time indefinite.+
19 They will not be ashamed in the time of calamity,+And in the days of famine they will be satisfied.+
כ [Kaph]
20 For the wicked themselves will perish,+And the enemies of Jehovah will be like the preciousness of pastures;They must come to their end.+ In smoke they must come to their end.+
ל [Laʹmedh]
21 The wicked one is borrowing and does not pay back,+But the righteous one is showing favor and is making gifts.+
22 For those being blessed by him will themselves possess the earth,+But those upon whom evil is called by him will be cut off.+
מ [Mem]
23 By Jehovah the very steps of an able-bodied man have been made ready,+And in his way He takes delight.+
24 Although he may fall, he will not be hurled down,+For Jehovah is supporting his hand.+
נ [Nun]
25 A young man I used to be, I have also grown old,+And yet I have not seen anyone righteous left entirely,+Nor his offspring* looking for bread.+
26 All day long he is showing favor and lending,+And so his offspring are in line for a blessing.+
ס [Saʹmekh]
27 Turn away from what is bad and do what is good,+And so reside to time indefinite.+
28 For Jehovah is a lover of justice,+And he will not leave his loyal ones.+ע [ʽAʹyin]To* time indefinite they will certainly be guarded;+But as for the offspring of the wicked ones, they will indeed be cut off.+
29 The righteous themselves will possess the earth,+And they will reside forever upon it.+
פ [Peʼ]
30 The mouth of the righteous is the one that utters wisdom in an undertone,+And his is the tongue that speaks justly.+
31 The law of his God is in his heart;+His steps will not wobble.+
צ [Tsa·dhehʹ]
32 The wicked one is keeping on the watch for the righteous+And is seeking to put him to death.+
33 As for Jehovah, he will not leave him to the hand of that one,+And he will not pronounce him wicked when he is being judged.+
ק [Qohph]
34 Hope in Jehovah and keep his way,+And he will exalt you to take possession of the earth.+When the wicked ones are cut off, you will see [it].+
ר [Rehsh]
35 I have seen the wicked a tyrant+And spreading himself* as a luxuriant [tree] in native soil.+
36 And yet he proceeded to pass away,* and there he was not;+And I kept seeking him, and he was not found.+
ש [Shin]
37 Watch the blameless one and keep the upright one in sight,+For the future of [that] man will be peaceful.+
38 But the transgressors themselves will certainly be annihilated together;+The future of wicked people will indeed be cut off.+
ת [Taw]
39 And* the salvation of the righteous ones is from Jehovah;+He is their fortress in the time of distress.+
40 And Jehovah will help them and provide them with escape.+He will provide them with escape from wicked people and save them,+Because they have taken refuge in him.+
Footnotes
^ In M this psalm is arranged in acrostic, or Heb. alphabetic, order.
^ One of 134 scribal changes from YHWH to ʼAdho·naiʹ. See App 1B.
^ Or, “seed.”
^ By dropping the preposition “to” (ל), this line begins with the acrostic Heb. letter ʽAʹyin.
^ Lit., “pouring himself out.”
^ According to M; LXXSyVg, “I passed by.”
^ By dropping the conjunction “and” (ו), this line begins with an acrostic Taw, the last letter of the Heb. alphabet.
